Yamunā

(3,281 words)

The Yamunā, a river of 1,376 km with its source at Yamunotri (“Mouth of Yamunā”) in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal) is one of the most important rivers of India. It flows in a southward and eastward arc to its confluence with the Gaṅgā at Allahabad, once known as Prayāg (“Holy Confluence”). In its course through the northern plains, the Yamunā traverses such historic cities as Delhi and Agra, and the pilgrim centers of Mathura and Vrindavan. Revered as the mother that nurtures, sustains, and purifies, nearly 60 m…